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DIY Nail Polish Tips and Tricks

Do you do your own manicures? I do (most of the time) and I have learned a lot of great DIY nail polish tips and tricks along the way. Some from my beauty school days and some by personal trial and error. Use my DIY nail polish tips and tricks next time you are ready for an at-home mani or pedi.

Remove polish and file or cut nails prior to doing anything else. This is the step to do first.

Soak cuticles in warm water. This will soften cuticles enough for you to push them back or trim them back (depending on what is needed). Maintaining good cuticles is essential to making your DIY nail polish job look professional.

Use a base coat. A base coat like OPI’s Chip Skip will give the nail polish something to adhere to and will make it last longer than if you didn’t use one. Allow to thoroughly dry before using polish.

Apply two thin coats of polish. The thicker the polish, the faster it will chip, so use your polish sparingly. Give your DIY nail polish job a pro look by applying polish in three strokes (first down the middle and then to each side). This will create a flawless look. Remember to allow each coat to dry thoroughly in between.

Apply a high-shine, fast dry topcoat. I really like Seche Vite topcoat because of both those reasons. I start to get impatient at this step, as I’m sure you do too, so I want something that will dry my nails in a jiff. I also want that high-shine look that I get from the salon…this topcoat gives it to me!

Still have some mistakes? If you got polish on your finger, swipe it away with an eye shadow brush dipped in acetone. This will work much better than a q-tip or picking it off later, trust me.